Author: Mike

What’s made in Worcester?

I’ve heard it said that, time was, part of every product in the US was made in Worcester.

Now, of course, this is hardly the case. But Worcester still has its share of factories and the like.

I’m trying to compile a list of things, especially consumer products, made in Worcester. Feel free to e-mail me or add a comment with your suggestions.

Sports equipment

Weapons

  • Kahr handguns (a href=”http://www.portfolio.com/careers/features/2007/09/17/Unification-Church”>background)

Garment/Fashion

Hardware

  • Saint-Gobain sandpaper

Furniture/strong>

Prepared food

  • Polar beverages
  • Table Talk pies
  • Dr. Gonzo’s condiments
  • Pickle factory on Mason St
  • Bay State Bakery

Agriculture

  • You can buy produce from YouthGrow’s garden in Main South

From 1914: A ready reference hand book of Worcester made products

Thanks to Brendan, Tracy, Dr. Gonzo, 4rilla, Greg, WBJ, and Destination Worcester for suggestions.

T&G circulation down 3.6%; nationwide papers down 7%

According to numbers in today’s Telegram & Gazette (available in April but not published anywhere till now), daily circulation at the paper is down 3.6% from the same period last year, from 81,437 to 78,479.

Newspaper circulation nationwide was down 7%. The T&G has been loosing circulation faster than average for the past few years; this much-better-than-average showing is a welcome surprise.

508 #73: Pikachu

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelists are Tracy Novick and Brendan Melican.

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508 is now arguably the first local program to be an equal citizen of both the internet and TV. You can watch it on Worcester cable channel 13 Tuesdays at 12:30am and 11:30am. Plenty of local programs from traditional media have some internet component, in most cases, unfortunately, on the periphery of what they do, rather than near the core.

We touch on shopping locally, then delve into this year’s school budget. Mike promotes the upcoming Blogger Beer. The restaurant Quan Yin is closing. (You should watch at least a few minutes of Supreme Master TV.)

The Worcester City Council’s CORI vote was apparently delayed by an unreported screw-up by people in the Clerk’s office.

The InCity Times has an angry, personal rant inspired by an unlikely issue.

Brendan had a great time at Worcester’s Pecha Kucha.

Our conversation about urban “open space” takes a turn when Mike brings up the article “US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive.”

Continue reading “508 #73: Pikachu”

508 #72: The Woodchuck of Main South

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Brendan Melican and Scott Zoback.

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Colin Novick’s ordination is tomorrow (we got this wrong last week); the Save Our Poolz movement looks back at the past year and considers new strategy; Worcester may be getting CORI reform.

This week’s Worcester Magazine covers our nation’s hard times by noting the stories of Foothills Theater, Lujon, and Papamoka.

The Telegram and Gazette is up for sale–Mike had predicted this would happen by May 1. Scott Zoback predicts the sale price will surpass $1,000,000.

T&G does a sorry job covering the latest Rep. Spellane gossip compared to the Herald.

Rushton to buy NWA album for son?

Scott Zoback enjoyed the Dive Bar’s 100th Thursday Music Night and the haberdasher trailer.

Mike suggests Worcester Magazine imagine how they could cover a large, local story 100%, then post the “assignment list” and try to engage the community in reporting it. (Inspired by Jay Rosen’s idea for Brooklyn.

Mike also notes the Uighurs are finally getting out of Guantanamo.

Worcester’s “vegetarian renaissance” has lasted a month now, continuing with Drew Wilson‘s WoMag article “Top places to get mock-meats.” We note Drew’s idea for mock dodo, mock tyrannosaurus rex, etc.

HBML has been replaced by the “Fuck Yeah Center.”

City Council Candidate Joe Casello should appear on 508.

We finish with a report from the year’s first Main South Farmer’s Market, and the story of the Woodchuck of Main South.

Continue reading “508 #72: The Woodchuck of Main South”

Do Catholic Workers go to church? and other items

Last week, a friend asked: Do Catholic Workers go to church? His impression was that the answer was No, and that “not going to church was part of the thing.”

I would say, by-and-large, the answer is Yes.

  • The Catholic Worker movement is decentralized, and there’s nobody in a position to enforce these things.
  • Many folks in Catholic Worker communities are not Catholic or not church-goers.
  • That said, based on visits to dozens of communities and meetings with hundreds of Catholic Workers, I think that most Catholic Workers are at least occasional churchgoers.
  • Some Catholic Workers make churchgoing a priority. Co-founder Dorothy Day attended mass every day. There are Catholic Workers who are priests, nuns, and deacons. On this website, we have archived many homilies from masses at the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker in Worcester. I think most of those who go to mass there on Fridays also attend at their own churches on Sundays.

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508 #71: Dime bags

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panelist is Brendan Melican.

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Worcester Magazine has a great article and slideshow about our screwed-up taxi system. Cab driver Jeff Barnard has a brief comment; Brendan has proposed solutions in the past.

The “vegetarian renaissance” in Worcester continues. VegWorcester has installed 5 newsracks and distributed 1000 veg dining guides in the past couple weeks.

Our friend Colin Novick is being ordained a Catholic deacon tomorrow June 13–but the local priest shortage continues. A former street vendor is running for City Council. Craigslist is too nice for newspapers to compete with.

Continue reading “508 #71: Dime bags”

508 #70: Papers and Poolz

508 is a show about Worcester.

This week, Mike is joined by Brendan Melican and Cha-Cha Connor.

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There’s a good show tonight at the Firehouse. The Catholic diocese is closing 2 more parishes. A Worcester woman is missing. Street vendors are being put out of business by new city regulations. (Video)

We read the African Radiant and mention Rep. Jim McGovern’s February letter to President Obama (PDF) asking for the 17 Uighurs at Guantanamo to be released into the U.S.

We read Worcester Magazine’s stories about panhandling and the Worcester Vegetarian Dining Guide. We mention Twitter.

The Pulse profiles the designer of the Veg Dining Guide.

This week’s InCity Times includes 2 mysterious items. The Worcester TwitCab is closed.

We contemplate the new Park Avenue CVS location through the teachings of Jim Collins.

We glance at the Catholic Radical. Cha-Cha talks about the situation with the City’s pools. The Telegram & Gazette website is still partly broken. We don’t have time to discuss Jeff Barnard’s “Worcester City Council: Bad for Business.”
Continue reading “508 #70: Papers and Poolz”

Brandon Darby and other items

This week’s This American Life has a great piece on activist Brandon Darby, who became an FBI informant whose work led to the conviction of 2 young RNC 2008 protesters.

I’d never heard of him before fellow RNC arrestee Drew Wilson told me about him; turns out several of my friends worked with him and admired him.

If you’ve listened to the radio piece, it’s worth reading Scott Crow’s critique. (Scroll past the first few comments to see it.)

Worcester Chopped Sea Clams
Holmes looks up trademarked items named after Worcester.

The Foundation of All Activism . . . Dental Floss
Erik Marcus makes a point about taking care of yourself.

508 #69: Vegetarian renaissance

508 is a show about Worcester.

This week, Brendan and Mike talk about: odd police reactions to a Supreme Court ruling; the future of the T&G and a new electronic edition; Worcester’s best vegan date spots; and the underground music scene.

If you’d like to leave a comment for next week’s show, the number is 508-471-3897.

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